


How do you like your coffee?

by Max_Star



Category: Original Work
Genre: Awkward Crush, Baristas, Cute, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Meet-Cute, Sad, Teen Romance, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24300991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Max_Star/pseuds/Max_Star
Summary: What happens when your girlfriend doesn't show up for another date?In Kimi's case, she meets an awkward barista who ends up teaching her more in life than how to make a decent cup of coffee.Kimi must face challenges within herself and her feelings as she begins to navigate what it truly means to be herself.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1. Part 1_

The cup in my hands burned the skin of my palms and I looked down, face flushed. I think I was being stood up. I don’t know how long I had been waiting at this silly little coffee shop, but it was definitely more than 20 minutes. The barista noticed, making awkward side glances as I sipped my latte slowly and carefully, face growing redder every second. Didn’t they close soon? _Damn, I must really have been stood up_ . I sighed and finished my latte, grabbing my stuff off the chair and heading over to throw away my cup. I stopped in the middle of the shop and looked back at the table where I was sitting. _Maybe she was actually coming?_ I sighed again, but deeper this time as I slowly made my way back to the table. The barista gave me a half-sad, half-awkward smile when I met his eyes, but I turned my head away and down at my hands. _God, I was so embarrassed._ She’s stood me up in the past, but it was starting to become our “new normal”. I just felt like such an idiot. So used. 

There really wasn’t anyone else here at the coffee shop except me and the barista, and probably his coworkers or some people in the back. I pulled out my phone from my purse and checked the time. 

_Damn, it was already past 5._

_We planned to meet here at 4:30._

I heard the sound of someone’s feet shuffling against the wooden flooring, and I frantically turned away. I heard the sound of the chair being scraped against the floor and looked up to see the barista looking at me, mildly concerned.

“U-uh, I’m sorry but we’re closing in five minutes.”

“Oh, of course” I stuttered, flustered. The barista eyed me up and down before a grin stretched across his face. “You’ve been stood up, haven't you?” _How did he know?_ Taken aback I manage to squeeze out “yes.” 

I hadn't looked at him before, but now that he stood about a foot away from me, he was kinda cute! With newfound confidence I manage to say, “but how did you know?” He looks at me with a twinge of guilt. “Trust me, I know these things when I see them.” he taps the side of his attractive head. “You’re not the first person to be stood up at a coffee shop, and you won’t be the last.”

“Well I appreciate your concern” I retorted sarcastically. 

“Wait, no I didn't mean it like that,” 

And for the first time this conversation, his smile fades.

“I’m sorry that you’re still here,” he says.

“It’s a nice coffee shop.”  
“Oh, uh, no, wait, I meant, like, that you’re here by yourself. I mean, who needs a man, right?”   
“Woman.”   
“Oh. Oh my God. I’m sorry.” He gets very flushed. “I am sorry! Jesus.”   
“Why are you sorry?”   
“Um. I don’t know. Sorry. I keep saying the wrong things.”   
His charm completely loses its luster. “I didn’t mean to hit on a lesbian,” he says.

“I’m not a lesbian.”  
“Oh my _God!_ What the _fuck!_ You know, I think it’s better if we just - you know what - can I just get you another cup on the house?”

I smiled at his awkwardness and panic.

“Sure, why not.” A few moments later he returned with a cup of coffee, and he placed it down in front of me.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Sorry about your date.” He shuffled away, probably to close up, so I left the store with my second burning coffee in hand. I found a comfortable bench for myself to sit on, keeping warm with the warmth of the coffee. She was supposed to drive me home. My house would take an hour to get to walking, but it’s not like I really had a choice. There’s no Taxis in Seabay county, especially this late. As I stood up, I felt a buzzing in my pocket. It was a text message from her:

“Oh my gosh! I completely forgot about our coffee thing haha! I’m sorry.”

Aggressively, I shoved my phone back into my pocket. I needed to have pride in myself. Setting aside my sadness and disappointment, I began to walk home, thinking for myself and only myself. It was time for me to focus on _me._

I didn’t get very far however until I heard the same shuffling feet from earlier racing towards me.

I instinctively jolted around, concerned that I was about to be attacked or in the way, and I saw it was the cute boy from earlier.

He grinned and squatted down to catch his breath. Then he stood back up and presented me with a small object.

“You uh… dropped this on your way out.”

I looked closer and noticed it was an earring. My hand whipped up to my ear and my eyes grew wide when I realized it really was my earring. _Damn, I must’ve been in such a rush that I didn’t notice it fell out._ I reached out to take the earring from his hand and our fingers brushed together for a brief moment. He immediately pulled away after I had the earring in hand, and swept his hands against his apron. I sheepishly put my earring back in and chuckled lightly. _This kid was really cute. But I had a girlfriend. One who stood me up, but nonetheless._

I sighed and skillfully examined this boy, head cocked to one side. He had an explosion of freckles that rippled across his face like the expansive cosmos, constellations connecting the lines of his nose to his eyes, planet-shaped moles dancing across his cheeks. His eyes were dark and rich enough to suck you in, and framed by a set of feathered lashes blinking as if to fly.

“See anything you like?” His voice startled me out of my daydream.

_God. Stare much?_

I duck my head and turn a bit pink, “O-oh, sorry just got lost in thought. Thank you for returning my earring! I don’t want to um, keep you from closing the shop, so I’ll be off. Thanks again.”

He looks at me, then back at the shop, and makes a hurried decision. 

“Could you wait just one moment?”

“Oh, uh, sure!” I replied, a little perplexed as to where this was leading.

As he dashed off, my phone buzzed with a notification. _Ah, my girlfriend. Again. What perfect timing._

“Babe, did you get my texts…?”


	2. Chapter 1 Part 2

_Chapter 1. Part 2_

I just stand there looking at my phone screen, wondering how to even reply. I roll my eyes and awkwardly shift my weight onto my other leg. Then, another message pops up:

“Are you just going to leave me on read? Are you upset with me rn? Can you PLS respond?? I’m seriously not liking how you’re acting.”

_Too much. There’s too much happening right now._

I chew my bottom lip and feel my heart lurch in my chest. _How do I deal with this? I’m so awkward and I just suck at texting, let alone trying to reason with Ivy over text- or in general._

Another damn text:

“Is this about today? I said I was sorry. What more do you want?! God Kimi you’re so selfish.”

I can feel my breaths becoming more shallow and an all too familiar feeling prick the back of my eyes. I already know what’s about to happen, and I’m mentally unprepared for the coming storm. Before I completely succumb to my panic, a familiar voice calls out to me. My body immediately straightens up- phone shoved into purse, hair tucked behind ears, eyes wiped. He jogs over to me after his light “Hey, thanks for waiting” and he has the biggest grin on his face, and gleam in his eyes. He slowed his pace when nearing me and the gleam in his eyes dimmed. 

“Woah, woah, are you okay?!”

I nodded and just stared at the ground. His beat-up vans were parallel to my black boots, not taking any steps further to cross the invisible boundary line that lay between us. 

I heard him rummage around his pockets and then I felt a hand lightly touch my shoulder, and I was sparked back to him. I looked up. He outstretched a little plastic pouch of tissues.

“Looks like you could need one.” His tone was so soft when he spoke to me now. I weakly smiled, and as I was taking a tissue out of the pouch with shaky hands, I felt the waterfalls erupt from within.

_I absolutely hate this. Breaking down in front of a stranger- or at least someone I barely knew. I felt weak. I felt stupid. I felt so small._

“Do you mind if I ask you a question? You don’t have to answer. Or talk. Um--”

I sniffled, “Yeah, it’s fine.”

“O-okay,” he exhaled. “Did your girlfriend dump you?”

I took a deep breath and sighed.

“No, but she’s really upset at me. I’m just having a moment. I’m fine. Seriously. I’m sorry you have to deal with some random girl just breaking down outside a coffee shop.” I chuckle to hide the fact that I’m about to cry again. I hide behind my hands and turn away, figuring maybe I should just curl up in a ball and disappear. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He said in a faint, fluttering tone.

I shook my head no. _I don’t want to deal with the shit storm that was already happening._

He looked around and scratched his forehead, a little awkward to the situation at hand. Then he reached into his coat pocket and jingled a set of keys. 

“Do you… want a ride home?”

“Oh, um…” I paused. _What other choice do I have?_ I nodded and followed him to the cafe lot.

His car was actually kinda nice. It was the kind of car you feel comfortable in, not like Ivy’s car where the interior felt too stiff and expensive- where all you could do was sit up straight and pray to god her seat cushions wouldn’t get a dent in them. Everything about this boy made me feel safe. I don’t know how to describe it other than that. I felt okay, like I was okay, and was going to be okay. _I could trust him, enough that is- and for right now._

He backed out of his spot and exited the lot. 

“Where you headed?” he asked, giving me a quick look before returning his gaze to the road.

“Oh. I can put it in your GPS for you if you want.”

“Sounds good,” he replies while quickly handing me his phone. “Passcode is ‘0409’ GPS is on the second page.”

I take his phone and it flashes the lock screen. I hesitate for a brief moment just to sneak a glimpse of the picture. It is an older family portrait of him and what I could only assume to be his parents and… sister? _I have to get home. Focus._ I unlock his phone, go to his GPS, and type in my home address. 

“Ok, here we go,” I say, forcing myself to smile to get it together a little bit. He takes the phone from my hands and gently sets it on the stand he has in his car. There’s a bit of an awkward silence as he drives down the smooth roads, the sound of whirring wheels taking up space between my ears. I turn to him and begin to thank him, but I realize I don’t even know his name. I can feel my ears grow a little warm, mildly embarrassed he went all this way for someone he barely knew.

He breaks the silence- and my moment of embarrassment- and asks: “Want me to put on some tunes?” 

“Sure. I’m fine with whatever you want to listen to.”

This part of conversation reminds me of driving in Ivy’s car. It didn’t matter what I listened to anyway. Ivy said “they were too difficult to get into.”

We are stopped at a red light and he opens his phone and connects it to the car’s bluetooth. Immediately music that sounded all too familiar started blasting.

He starts to sway back and forth, lip-synching, not giving a care in the world that some random girl was in his car witnessing all of this live.

The chorus hits, and I can’t help myself. Maybe it’s because I like this song, or the fact that I don’t feel any weirder than the goofball dancing in the driver's seat- I start to dance and sing along. He turns his head and laughs. “You know this song?”

“Heck yes! Turn it up!” I giggle. 

_It’s nice being able to listen to this kind of music in the car again._

“I didn’t know what music you listened to, so I just put on my favorite band- and what do you know?!” He chuckles.

“Dude. I’ve been listening to them since they debuted. Their music is the bomb.”

“What?! Seriously? For that long?” He gawks, then shifting into a random accent he jokes, 

“I commend your fan-ship greatly…” 

I laugh and we continue to jam out in his car until I recognize we’re on my street.

“You have arrived” The GPS signals, and the mood from before washes over me again.

_Right. Home._

“Is this your stop?” He asks, a bit unsure when to stop the car.

“Oh, uh, yeah. This is me.” I point to the small house on the corner and he pulls the car up to the curb. I stare down at my feet again and sigh. The music is still playing, but now I was conflicted. _I didn’t want to go home._

I took a deep breath and opened the car door.

“Thank you for everything today.”

He just watched as I got out, then turned his face to the side.

_He just wants me to go in. I’m being annoying. Shit._

“Sorry! I’ll head in now,” I mumble as I rush to the front door of my house.

I hear the car ignition shut off, the slamming of a car door, and hurried steps.

“Wait-- I--”

I turn around and he’s standing before me again.

“God, this is embarrassing… I can’t even…” He stumbles through his words and I smile lightly while staring at the ground.

“Would you mind if I got your number?”

_Oh. OH. Be cool. Stay calm. It’s not like some cute guy just asked for your number or anything-_

_Wait shit--_

“S-sure!” I gasp out before the voice in my head completely loses it, scrambling for my phone.

We stand parallel to each other again as we hold out our phones and type in each other’s numbers.

He smiles and waves to me as he hops back into his car and drives off into the evening glow of the streets. I smile and wave back.

I look down at my phone screen and see I have 30 new texts from Ivy and 2 missed calls, but I don’t care. I go into my contacts and name him:

“Coffee boy”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I love to write, and I decided to share this budding story to see if anyone would be interested in hearing how it unfolds. Let me know what you liked- or even what you didn't! I'm just glad to have you lovely readers on here reading my stuff. :,-)  
> I will try to release something every Wednesday!


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